Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Search eText, Read.
Carmilla study guide contains a biography of Joseph Le Fanu, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.Laura doesn’t understand Carmilla when she says this, but she agrees with that because although she doesn't have enough life experience (in contrast with Carmilla), she can intuitively believe that it is true. This mysterious subject he treats, in that Essay, with his usual learning and acumen, and with remarkable directness and condensation.Carmilla Summary The novella is set in 19th-century Styria, which is located in Austria. It is narrated by a young woman named Laura, who tells her story to Doctor Hesselius, whose papers are being organized by an aide. Laura lives with her father (a widower) in a castle deep in the forest of Styria.
Illustrations. When Carmilla was first published as a serial in the literary magazine The Dark Blue, it was accompanied by illustrations by David Henry Friston, who is known for creating the first illustrations for Sherlock Holmes. These illustrations do not appear in modern editions of the book.First serialized in The Dark Blue magazine (1871-1872) and then reprinted by Le Fanu in the In a Glass Darkly short story collection (1872), Carmilla is the story of a female her gender being important “in the construction of her monstrosity” (Creed 1993, p.3) vampire named Carmilla (anagram of Mircalla) that preys on females.
Carmilla, a tale of a female vampire who preys on young women, centers on the anxieties associated with female sexuality. Le Fanu was one of the first writers to depict a female vampire, and he consistently associates vampirism with eroticism.
